TORONTO - The Raptors landed the NBA’s reigning executive of the year Masai Ujiri on Friday afternoon, reeling in the big fish new Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Tim Leiweke was so eager to bring in.

The team only aggressively pursued Ujiri and Phil Jackson and with Jackson, unproven as an exec, always a bit of a pipe dream, Ujiri was always the ideal option, though also a bit of a challenge to hire.

“We feel very lucky to have Masai in our organization. He is a proven judge of talent and we look for him to be a big part of creating a winning atmosphere, leading us to the playoffs and, ultimately, delivering NBA championships for Toronto,” Leiweke said in a release.

Ujiri seemed just as pleased.

“I have already developed a great relationship with Tim Leiweke and I can’t wait to get back to Canada to build a team that is poised to take the next step in the NBA,” Ujiri said.